The 82nd legislative session has ended and the biggest issue facing Texas — the budget crisis — was not resolved, so we are now in special session. This is actually a positive development because it gives us another chance to get the budget right and to move away from reckless cuts that would be disastrous to Texas families, our schools and the future of our state.

Let me be clear from the start: Texas is choosing to irresponsibly cut vital services for Texas families to the bone. We don't have to cut so severely. Texas is choosing to sacrifice our children's educational opportunities or kick the elderly out of nursing homes, while continuing multimillion-dollar corporate giveaways, because those are the priorities of those in charge.

A budget is a moral document; it makes our principles and priorities clear. Do we stand with Texas families by investing in our schools and in health programs for kids and seniors, or do we stand with billion-dollar corporations and protect inefficient, irresponsible tax breaks? Unfortunately, the 2012-13 budget sides with corporations and against our families and schoolchildren.

The lowlights include:

· Cutting more than $4 billion from Texas schools right now;

· Cutting around $220 million from Texas medical schools;

· Kicking the can down the road by taking another $2 billion in payments to Texas schools off the books;

· Underfunding health and human services in Texas by $23 billion, 29.8 percent below what is needed to maintain current services;

· Cutting $4.8 billion in Medicaid;

· Slashing higher education by $1.5 billion, a 10 percent cut from current levels and $2 billion below what is needed to maintain current services;

· Eliminating financial aid for more than 43,000 students, including 29,000 students who will lose their TEXAS Grants.

For Houston-area schools, the numbers are bleak:

· HISD receives a $205 million cut;

· Fort Bend ISD receives a $45.6 million cut;

· Stafford ISD receives a $3.3 million cut;

· North Forest ISD receives a $3.1 million cut; and

· Alief ISD receives a $22.6 million cut.

The effect of these cuts is even more dire because the funding doesn't represent current needs. The combination of Texas being one of the fastest-growing states in the country and the continuing poor economy has significantly increased the need for services. More people and a bad economy equal more revenue needed for services. As a result, according to budget experts, the 2012-13 budget is a whopping $32 billion short of meeting the same level of services we currently provide Texas schools, families and seniors.

I believe there is a better way, and the special session gives us one final chance to get it right and protect Texas. I have proposed a road map to a more responsible budget. Our plan:

1) Ends huge giveaways to business, like the early filer tax break. Texas gave retailers a tax break of more than $200 million last year simply to file their sales taxes on time. We gave them another $200 million to file them early, and we gave another $65 million to businesses that pay their fuel taxes on time. There shouldn't be such a huge reward for doing what you are supposed to do.

2) Eliminates the so-called "high-cost" natural gas tax loophole. Texas gave away more than $7.4 billion in tax breaks from 2004 to 2009 to natural gas producers that already profit in the billions of dollars because their lobbyists have been able to maintain an antiquated definition of "high-cost" gas in the code. From new drilling established in 2009 alone, we will lose another $7.9 billion over the next 10 years. This tax incentive was created in 1989 to help companies with the costs of drilling high-cost wells, which made sense then, but now virtually every new well produced is a so-called "high-cost" well. Mom-and-pop producers are not getting this tax break; major oil companies are.

3) Uses the rainy-day fund to spare our kids, our seniors and our schools from cuts. The rainy-day fund was created for budget challenges exactly like the one we face today. And because of rising oil and gas prices, the rainy-day fund balance is at least $6.3 billion and growing. Even if the Texas economy does slow in future years, soaring oil and gas prices virtually guarantee the rainy-day fund will continue to grow. For instance, even as the Texas economy slumped, the fund grew by 40 percent.

4) Addresses the structural deficit. In 2006, then-Comptroller of Public Accounts Carole Keeton Strayhorn warned the Legislature that the swap of the business or "margins" tax for property tax cuts was completely out of balance. She called it "the largest hot check in Texas history," a prediction that has come true.

I have called for the appointment of a special Joint Oversight Committee to review the margins tax and make recommendations to the 83rd Legislature. The tax simply did not raise enough revenue to offset property tax cuts and, according to the comptroller, will lead to a $10 billion shortfall every two years if we do not fix the tax. More businesses - not fewer - need to pay their fair share for Texas schools. It is time to level the playing field and fix this tax.

These are simple, straightforward reforms we could act on immediately to free up billions of dollars that could be used to spare reckless cuts to our schools and our seniors. Unfortunately, time is running out. It is time to turn back from this dangerous, potentially disastrous path and create a budget that is worthy of Texas.

Ellis, a Democrat, has represented Texas Senate District 13 since 1990.